Most of the individuals in their school days or even childhood develop the dream of studying abroad. Even statistics show that about 15% of the total students go abroad for their graduation or higher studies. Why is the craze for studying abroad increasing among the youth? Does this education or qualification or a degree from abroad really helps in getting jobs and placement?

Reasons why you should consider studying abroad?

Studying abroad can be a very beneficial experience for a number of reasons. Some potential benefits of studying abroad include:

1. Personal growth: Studying abroad can help you to become more independent, adaptable, and confident. You will be exposed to new cultures, languages, and ways of life, which can help you to develop a greater understanding and appreciation of the world around you.
2. Educational opportunities: Studying abroad can give you access to educational experiences and resources that may not be available in your home country. This can include courses and programs that are not offered at your home university, as well as the opportunity to work with top professors and researchers in your field of study.
3. Career development: Studying abroad can help you to develop valuable skills that are highly sought after by employers, such as language fluency, cross-cultural communication, and adaptability. These skills can be particularly useful if you are interested in working in an international setting.
4. Cultural immersion: Studying abroad allows you to fully immerse yourself in a new culture, which can be a rewarding and enriching experience. You will have the opportunity to learn about different customs, traditions, and ways of life, and may even have the chance to live with a host family or participate in a homestay program.
5. Language Skills: They tend to develop various communication skills and studying abroad also hones their language and they tend to learn and improve their language skills be it reading or writing. It comes out at some point of time that these languages that they learnt helped them get a job at a later point of time.
6. Social Skills: One of the positive aspects of studying abroad is the concept that this helps them learn social behavior. And apart from academic excellence extracurricular achievements also is a good criterion for getting first employment. These students or graduates also tend to develop more patience and confidence as compared to other employees and can take up team work with much more passion and willingness.
7. Discovering Oneself: Researchers tend to say that people after studying abroad tend to develop a new view towards themselves and their culture. They gain experience that helps them realize and reconsider their own beliefs and values.
8. Breaks your academic routine: Studying abroad helps you to break free from the same academic system offered to you semester after semester and also helps you to gain and learn more about the system followed by other countries.
9. It also enhances the value of you degree: Studying abroad also helps you take courses that were not offered by the institutes at your home campus. You get to learn and add some more languages to your resume which would definitely increase and add up as a bonus to your degree. Learning a language at your home would require you to invest money while this can be done free of cost and would come quite naturally to you if you study at a foreign location.
10. Travel: Finally studying abroad helps you to travel a lot and also gives you an opportunity to get out of your comfort zone and explore life to a much greater extent.

Overall, studying abroad can be a valuable and enriching experience that can help you to grow personally and professionally. Now days companies or organisations tend to hire the people who are possessing global awareness apart from the required qualification. Graduates or students who have travelled abroad tend to have gained and experienced foreign culture and can work and fit into any office culture. A survey conducted by U.K. Department proved that the students who had a degree from abroad were at a higher positions and would get job spontaneously rather than the students who studied in the home country. U.K for improving the employment of the students of their country convinced and also at times forced them to go for the foreign internships as these helped them to gain international experience.

The research conducted by the U.S department came out with the extinguishing results regarding the students studying abroad and came out with the conclusion that the students tend to develop unique skills that help them fare better in their careers as compared to their peers who chose to study in their country of domicile

Incase you decide to study abroad, you can choose to do so in fall semester OR spring semester

Is it better to study abroad in fall or spring? 

Cons of studying abroad

While there might be a lot reasons for studying abroad, there are also some reasons why studying abroad will not be the ideal choice for you. There are a few potential drawbacks or challenges to consider when deciding whether or not to study abroad. It is important for you carefully consider these reasons while deciding to choose whether to study abroad OR not. Study abroad consultant might present a biased opinion for obvious reasons and the decision that whether you should study abroad OR not should be your personal + family’s decision ONLY. Some challenges associated with studying abroad are as below

1. Cost: Studying abroad can be expensive, especially if you are studying in a country with a high cost of living. In addition to tuition and fees, you will also need to budget for things like housing, food, travel, and other living expenses.
2. Homesickness: Being away from home for an extended period of time can be challenging, and it is not uncommon for students to feel homesick while studying abroad. If you are not comfortable being away from home for long periods of time, or if you have strong ties to your community, you may want to consider whether studying abroad is the right choice for you.
3. Language barriers: If you are planning to study abroad in a country where you are not fluent in the local language, you may face language barriers that can make it more difficult to communicate with locals and participate in daily life.
4. Academic challenges: Studying in a foreign country can be academically challenging, as you may need to adjust to different teaching styles and cultural expectations. If you are not comfortable with change or are struggling academically, studying abroad may not be the best choice for you.
5. Safety concerns: Depending on where you are studying, you may need to be mindful of your personal safety and be aware of any potential security concerns. It is important to research the safety and security situation in the country where you will be studying and to take any necessary precautions.

It is important to carefully consider these potential challenges and drawbacks when deciding whether or not to study abroad. If you are prepared to handle these challenges and are confident that the benefits of studying abroad outweigh the potential drawbacks, then studying abroad can be a very rewarding experience.

Deciding to study abroad OR not is a personal choice and you should consider the above list of pros and cons while deciding to choose if studying abroad is the right choice for you.